Illuminating devices carried by movable control boxes for machine tools



Aug. 22, 1967 R. DEFLANDRE 3,337,724

ILLUMINATING DEVICES CARRIED BY MOVABLE I CONTROL BOXES FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed April 20, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig.1

Aug. 22, 1967 R. DEFLANDRE ILLUMINATING DEVICES CARRIED BY MOVABLE CONTROL BOXES FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed April 20, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Ofiice 3,337,724 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 3 Claims. (c1. 240 2 The present invention relates to illuminating devices carried by movable control consoles or boxes for machine tools, i.e. control consoles suspended from flexible members such as cables or chains, in such a way that they may be guided to any desired location about the machine for the conveniently controlling and checking thereof.

Illuminating devices have already been mounted on such consoles, the latter being provided, if desired, with means for rotating them about a vertical axis with respect to a member fixed to the free end of the chains or suspension cables.

With non-rotatable consoles, it is diflicult to deflect the beam from the illuminating device onto the area to be illuminated, in fact, it is necessary to grip the console and to attempt to orient it in suitable manner, which subjects the console suspension means to adverse stresses and strains. Moreover, at this time it is impossible simultaneously to operate the control members mounted on the console.

-In spite of these disadvantages, if it is still possible to proceed in this fashion for consoles having smaller dimensions and weight, this becomes quite impracticable with recent control consoles having numerous controls and checking apparatus mounted thereon, because their bulk and their weight are then much greater.

Control consoles of more recent conception may be rotated about a vertical axis and may even be oriented in all directions due to the provision of a jointed suspension device located at the free end of the cables or the suspension chains.

Consoles of this type, provided with an illuminating device, enable the parts of the machine and also the part to be machined, to be easily illuminated, which are located substantially in the horizontal plane passing through the console, at the moment in question. n the other hand, if it is desired to illuminate areas located above or below the said plane, without modifying the position in height of the post, required for example by operational requirements, the console must be manually pivoted about its jointed suspension system in order to direct the luminous beam higher or lower than the console. This manual operation becomes more inconvenient with increasing weight and bulk of the console, moreover, when the light beam is deflected towards the location to be illuminated, the different control members of the console cannot be operated at the same time.

It is an object of the invention to provide an illuminating device carried by a movable control console, particularly a rotatable console, which avoids or minimises the abovementioned disadvantages of the known devices.

The invention accordingly consists in an illuminating device carried by a movable console for controlling a machine tool, comprising a console casing which is adjustable in height and is mounted so as to rotate about a vertical axis at the bottom of a control cable and at least one lamp mounted so as to pivot in a wall of said casing about a horizontal axis parallel to said wall, the lamp being secured to a manual control means.

Due to this particular structure, whatever may be the Claims location in height of the console, it becomes possible, by acting on the abovementioned manual control means, to direct the light beam to the height of the location to be illuminated, while allowing the control console to hang in its natural vertical position. Moreover, the different control knobs, keys or buttons on the console may be continued to be maneuvered conveniently, by having the console in front of the operator, whilst ensuring an efficient illumination of the location in question.

In one embodiment, the device comprises two lamps, one of which, arranged at the lower part of the console, may be inclined so that its light beam may be upwardly inclined, whilst the other, arranged in the upper part of the console, may be inclined so that its light beam may be downwardly inclined.

Thus there is the possibility of extending the illumination field in height, if one of the lamps is inclined upwardly and the other downwardly. The light beams of the two lamps may also be concentrated in a common horizontal plane, if desired.

According to another feature of the invention, each lamp located in the rear wall of the console, is mounted near a side wall thereof, on a rotable axis which passes through said side wall and which carries an external, manually controlled knob or the light for inclining the lamp.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show one embodiment thereof by way of example, and in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a front view, with certain parts removed, of a movable console for controlling a machine tool, and provided with an improved illuminating device according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 shows a plan view, with a partial section taken along the line II-II of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 shows a side view from the left side of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 shows in section and to a larger scale, a detail of a manual control means for inclining one of the lamps shown in FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, a movable console for controlling a machine tool, is collectively designated at 1, and is mounted at the free end of a flexible suspension member, shown diagrammatically in the example, by a cable 2. To this end, the end of the cable 2 carries a collar 3 from which the console 1 is suspended by means of a rotatable system constituted in the example by a ball bearing 4, so that the console may be rotated about the vertical axis of said cable.

On the front surface of the console, are mounted various control and adjusting members, as indicated at 8. Two vertical bars 11, 12 as arranged on either side of the front surface 7 of the console, enable the latter to be conveniently handled.

The illuminating device is constituted by two lamps 15, 16 having parabolic reflectors, similar to the head lamps of motor-vehicles, housed respectively in two recesses 17, 18 of a housing 19 located in the rear part of the console I.

The recess 17 is located near the upper part of the console, whilst the recess 18 is located, on the other hand near its lower part, and the two lamps are rotatable respectively about two horizontal axes XX and XX' parallel to the rear surface of the console. In the example, these two lamps are pivotable individually in opposite directions through a useful angle 60, from their positions for which the luminous beams which they emit are horizontal. Thus, the lower lamp 16 for example, may project a light beam between the horizontal and a direction upwardly inclined at 60. he upper part of the recess 18 is inclined substantially at the same angle, as may be seen in FIGURE 3.

In a similar way, the lamp 15 may pivot so that its light beam makes, with respect to the horizontal, any desired downward angle up to about 60, the lower part of the recess 17 of the housing in which it is lodged being inclined substantially by the corresponding angle.

It will be noted that the two lamps 15 and 16 are located respectively near the two corresponding side surfaces 22, 23 of the console I and that they may be caused to pivot conveniently, by means of two knurled knobs 24, 25 respectively.

The two lamps are mounted in the same way and the assembly of the upper lamp 15 will now be described. The body of this lamp is provide-d with a joint 28 (FIG- URE 4) secured to or integral with a bolt 29 secured in a cylindrical sleeve 31 by means of a nut 32, held in place by a Grower safety washer 34. The sleeve 31 is rotatable in the corresponding cylindrical bore of a bearing 36 which is fixed, with its cover 37, by means of screws 38, against a boss of the corresponding side surface of the casing 19.

The external cylindrical surface of the sleeve 31 is provided with a flange 41 entrapped against the surfaces opposite the bearing 36 and its cover 37. The two surfaces of this flange have annular grooves in which are respectively lodged two rings 44, 45 made of rubber or suitable synthetic material, engaged at the same time in two corresponding annular grooves, respectively formed in the cover 37 and in the bearing 36. Between the bearing 36 and its cover 37 is interposed a wedge 46 having such a thickness that the flange 41 of the rotatable sleeve is tightened by means of the two rings made of suitable plastics material, between the two fixed surfaces of the bearing and of its cover, with a suitable force so that the lamp is held in any desired angular position, and such that this inclination can however be modified as desired, by causing the sleeve 31 to rotate, by means of the knurled knob 24 fixed to said sleeve, by means of a flexible pin 26.

The supply current for the two lamps 15, 16 is fed in by means of cables 51, 52 respectively, which pass through the wall of the casing 19 through small rubber grommets 53 (FIGURE 2) and which pass through the inside of the suspension cable 2 together with the cables 55 (FIGURE 1) connected to the different control and adjusting member 8, carried by the console 1.

Two small plates 56, 57 fixed to the rear wall of the casing 19, by means of screws 58, 59 hold the two cables 51, 52 in suitable position.

The two lamps 15, 16 are protected by suitable grids 61, 62 and, moreover, the casing 19 has two vertical ribs 63, 64 which are at the outside edges of the two recesses in which the lamps are located. These latter are thus protected against any shock imparted to the wall of the console.

When the two lamps occupy the horizontal position shown in the drawings, they project two parallel, horizontal light beams, which illuminate strongly everything which is within range, opposite the rear surface of the console. By means of the two knurled knobs 24, 25, the light beam of the lamp 15 may be downwardly inclined as desired and the light beam of the head lamp 16 upwardiy in order to extend the illuminated field into any desired zone located opposite the rear surface of the console and at heights different from the height of the console, at the moment in question. Moreover, it is convenient to maniplate the knobs 24, 25 for controlling the inclination of the lamps individually, without for this purpose preventing the console itself being manipulated in order to make it pivot about its vertical axis or even to actuate one of the control members 8 for example placed on the front surface of the console.

If desired, the lamps may be mounted'against a surface other than the rear surface of the console, for example against the side surfaces or even against the surface lower than the latter.

I claim:

1. In a movable console for controlling a machine tool, a casing for said console, means for adjusting said casing in height, means for adjusting said casing in azimuth, means for suspending said casing on a cable, at least one lamp mounted in said casing, means for pivoting said at least one lamp about a horizontal axis with respect to a wall of said casing and manually operable means for controlling said pivoting means.

2. In a movable console for controlling a machine tool, a casing for said console, means for adjusting said casing in height, means for adjusting said casing in azimuth, means for suspending said casing on a cable, a first lamp mounted in the lower part of said casing, means for pivoting said first lamp about a horizontal axis with respect to a wall of said casing, a second lamp mounted in the upper part of said casing, means for pivoting said second lamp about a horizontal axis with respect to a wall of said casing, and manually operable means for controlling each of said pivoting means.

3. In a movable console as set forth in claim 2, means for mounting each of said lamps near a side wall of said casing on a rotatable shaft passing through said side wall, and a control knob on the outside end of each shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 659,702 10/1900 Smith 240-88 1,514,868 11/1924 Solosabal et a1 2404l.6 3,005,087 10/1961 Klein 240-1.4

FOREIGN PATENTS 624,387 9/1961 Italy.

CHARLES C. LOGAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A MOVABLE CONSOLE FOR CONTROLLING A MACHINE TOOL, A CASING FOR SAID CONSOLE, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID CASING IN HEIGHT, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID CASING IN AZIMUTH MEANS FOR SUSPENDING SAID CASING ON A CABLE, AT LEAST ONE LAMP MOUNTED IN SAID CASING, MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID 